Monday, April 07, 2014

[Game] My Writing Process

Four things:

1. Sadly, I don't have enough time/sanity to do A-Z this year, but I'll definitely be cheering for those of you who do. Go, go, go! :)

2. Do you want to win SIGNED paperback copies of Strength (Mark of Nexus #1) and Courage (Mark of Nexus #2), along with a bunch of other YA/NA paranormal goodies? Check out Jessie Lane's release giveaway!

3. NA Alley relaunches today with a split focus—a website that will act as an informational hub (my design) and a blog that will act as a promotional epicenter. Be sure to check it out!

4. Speaking of NA Alley, the lovely and talented Juliana Haygert has invited me to take part in a posting game about the writing process. Cool, right? Let's get started!

The Questions

What am I working on?

I just started Loyalty (Mark of Nexus #3), the last book in my NA paranormal romance/urban fantasy series, with hopes of a late summer release. And since I can't decide on a secondary project, I'm also working on two other manuscripts—a YA fantasy/fairytale mashup and an NA contemporary. Whew!

How does my work differ from others of its category/genre?

The Mark of Nexus (MoN) series differs from other New Adult books in that it's speculative (instead of contemporary), there's no real focus on sex, we see quite a few battles, and the dialogue skews humorous. As for other paranormal novels, I like to think my supernatural element is fairly unique—it doesn't involve vampires, werewolves, fey, etc.

Not that there's anything wrong with those things. If you can pull that off, more power to ya!

Why do I write what I do?

► NA: The way I envisioned the MoN series, the characters were at a pivotal point in their lives, caught between newfound freedom and consequence. I plotted everything out before I learned of the New Adult stigma (way before the category became a 'thing'), so I didn't know any better. It wasn't until I started getting feedback on my queries—notes suggesting I age my characters up or down to fit the mold—that I realized so-called 'college fiction' was a hard sell.

Of course, that didn't deter me. I refused to compromise the integrity of my story and ended up signing with a small press. After that, I continued the series independently. No regrets here!

► Romance: I really have no idea. I'm somewhat of a cynic in 'real life,' so this is always a mystery to people. LOL What can I say? I appreciate the emotional range of romance.

► Paranormal and Fantasy: 75% of my stories turn into some kind of speculative work—usually, without my consent. Maybe it's the fact that I love reading/watching things in this genre. Maybe it's the fact that my imagination thrives without boundaries. Who knows! The point is, I'm sure I'll be writing it for a long time. :)

How does your writing process work?

• Inspiration: Something (figuratively) strikes me—a song, a story on the news, a picture, etc. That's when my imagination takes over, toying with the idea, unfolding a world around it.

• Brainstorming/Outlining Frenzy: This involves a mess of notes and Scrivener.

• Drafting: Once the actual writing starts, I go total trance mode. When I'm interrupted mid-chapter, I usually snap out of it pretty disoriented! LOL

• Critique Partners: A few trusted writing pals read over the manuscript and provide me with invaluable input.

• Revising: Time to take that feedback into account and make changes.

• Beta Readers: Here's where readers/bloggers give their overall impression of the story.

• Revising: More things to take into account before I send a clean draft out!

• Editors: Content edits, copy edits, etc. This is the hair-pulling phase where I feel stupid for missing little things, but I feel more confident once it's done.

• Final check: I read the book so many times, I convince myself that I never want to read it again. Ever. I can recite long passages from memory. I obsess over the notion that I've missed something and will end up publicly humiliated. Eventually, I cross my fingers and send it out into the world!

• Lather, Rinse, Repeat: Time to start a new project...

My turn to pass the torch! The three writers I tag to tell us about their writing process next week are: • Melissa Maygroveis a wife, a
mother, a nurse, a freelance editor, and a romance writer. As of March
2013, she added 'published author' to that list. Her debut novel, a
western historical romance titled COME BACK, is set to be released May 12, 2014.

• Angela Brown is a lover of books—from classics to steampunk and everything in
between. Plus, she's in pursuit of making her full-time passion more than a
part-time gig.

• Elizabeth Seckmanis the author of the Coulter Men Series: PAST DUE and HEALING SUMMER. The third book in the series is coming soon. She is also the mother of four
boys...well five if you count their father. He's the orneriest of the
bunch! She graduated from Marshall University with a degree in
Counseling and Rehabilitation. She is a life time resident of West
Virginia...though she was an Ohio buckeye (yeah!) at birth. She is a full time
day dreamer and part time laundry wench. An eternal optimist and
follower of the Christian faith, she still enjoys Jello-shots and a good
laugh.

36 comments:

I wrote my NA series for the same reason (and before I knew it was a thing), and I'm glad I did! :) As for my favourite part of the writing process, it varies. I enjoy drafting, but it's because I do a lot of planning beforehand. I love the initial ideas-gathering stage as well. Revising and editing can be frustrating (especially when it gets to the point when I've read the thing backwards!) but I love getting notes from my CP's/beta readers which help me see how I can improve it. It's always interesting to see how other writers' processes work!

I love reading how authors put their stories together. There's similarities, but many differences, too.

I've never understood why people would say stories about college aged characters wouldn't sell. If college age kids don't have time to read, adults do and they can relate to those years on campus. I love that NA has found a place on the shelf!

I guess the drafting but I just call it writing. Pinterest has helped me get into inspiration through images big time. I don't write NA but I love the range and love for the genre that I get from NA writers. Hint, Hint Carrie.

Congrats on the audio book. And I agree with you that your books are unique in NA by writing in speculative rather than contemporary. That's one thing I'm disappointed in about NA-too much contemporary.

I love the pure, raw process of creating, but I've also grown to love revising, editing, and polishing. If the book is old enough and in need of many repairs, it's like getting to write it twice or even thrice.

This is really interesting - I love seeing how other people go through the process. I have no idea how everyone does it differently with the same goal in mind, but hey, it works. ^_^

My favorite part of the process is when I already have the plot and characters going, and I'm tightening up my notes, really fleshing out the who and the what and the why. That's when the story comes alive, when the characters start to talk to me. When I'm adding lines of dialogue to my plot, I know I'm there.

Just stopping by to say 'hi'! And that I loved the second book in your series. And I haven't been around the blogosphere at all lately and honestly can't promise when I'll be around again but I still love you and think you're super talented and can't wait for the third book. ;)